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Whats going on ? I just ran into a long time Beemer owner ,and he told me the best starter BMW would be the 95 525i . Now should I listen and take his advice and purchase the car or keep looking? Its Alpine white w/ a dead battery 135k miles while everything still looks fairly new as far as the interior .

I just purchased a 95 525i the other day. It's nice, I'm enjoying it so far. I'd say make sure to take it to a good BMW mechanic first. From what I understand, the cooling system is kinda troublesome in this car so you might want to see if his radiator/thermostat and housing have been replaced, those are known to fail. Plus front control arms and suspension I've heard aren't built as sturdy as the rest of the car, so might want to check that out. And check for signs that the engine has ever overheated, blown head gasket could occur, warped or cracked block and such which are serious problems. And I'd make sure to get a new battery and test drive it to make sure everything seems good. Other than those things, from what everyone's told me these cars are built like a rock. How much is he asking for it?

Oh and I should add ( again from what I've heard, haven't owned the car long enough to tell you ) that although this is one of the cheaper BMWs for parts, labor for maintenance can get expensive so be prepared to get your hands dirty, and as with any high mileage used car make sure you have a nice chunk of change left over to do any repairs you didn't suspect! Best of luck!

That's pretty low! I know around here they go for anywhere from 2500 to 4000. Is he someone you know? Such a low price might be a red flag that it's had or has some kind of problem and he's trying to pull a fast one. Once again, I recommend taking it to a BMW mechanic. They should do pre purchase inspections, most reputable shops and dealers charge a fee but better to pay a small fee then pay 1500 only to find out later something's wrong.

I'll keep that in mind when I go back and check it out . But he's only asking for 1,500 for it .

You should definitely take it to a workshop for an undercarriage inspection, not because the price seems low, but because that's what you should be doing for any unwarrantied car anyway. Penny wise, pound foolish, as they say.

(With the mechanic's aid, ) you'll be wanting to check for :

1. Leaks everywhere. Ask questions about old leaks too.
2. Cracks in the brake hoses
3. The condition of the tranny, engine, brake, rear diff and power steering fluids.
4. You'll want to check the ball joints and bushings for the front and rear suspensions.
5. Check the condition of the engine, tranny and rear diff mountings/bushings.
6. See if there are any signs of unusual tire wear, and if so, identify the cause.
7. Check if any of your pulleys are damaged, dented, sunken in, or basically require replacement.
8. Check the condition of your belts. Check how tight they are on the engine - this will demonstrate if the pulley's tensioners are in good shape.
9. Test fan clutch for stiffness.
10. Look out for anything else that looks off.
11. If possible, do the stomp test or have the car's codes scanned.
12. Run the engine and check the tailpipe for smoke, check the engine for unusual noises, idle, or behaviour.
13. If its an automatic, check for hard shifts from N to D, N to R, and delayed shifts during a drive up to speed. You should have checked this during your own test drive anyway.
14. Check for cabin heat and temperature variability.
15. Check the shocks and front shock mountings' condition (visible from the engine bay) .
16. For good measure, if you can, get the mech to take the car for a short test drive, especially if you have areas of concern following your own.
17. Get quote for work needed, separated into parts and labour. Specify that you don't want original BMW parts but you want OEM parts. OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) parts are the factories that BMW buys most of their car's parts from. However, once they take the parts and stamp the propeller logo onto it, the exact same thing sells for between 20%-200% higher.
18. When in doubts, ASK the question. Don't be concerned that you might sound stupid. You are in control, always, as long as you have money and they want it. Never let yourself be hustled by anyone on the basis that you're inexperienced. If you notice that, ask them "excuse me, are you trying to hustle me because I'm inexperienced ? " with a straight face, and that should straighten them out.

The inspection alone will take 30 minutes at most. The whole affair, if you include the test drive, should take under an hour. Its an easy job for the workshop and they have the chance that you might come back for any work they identify might be required, so you should not expect to pay more than $50-$100 for this.

Negotiate the price with the current owner before you do this. Make the price conditional to a satisfactory inspection at your own cost and give yourself the right to renegotiate the price or abandon the sale if repairs or wear and tear items exceed say 10% of the car's price. Not that you have to activate this option if you find stuff, but the its good to have it declared up front.

Basically, your initial personal viewing and test drive should be about you looking for reasons to buy the car. The undercarriage and workshop's inspection should be about looking for reasons to cancel the sale. Take this two step approach and you'll be fine.

Whatever you pay for the car, flush your mind's buffers about its purchase price immediately after that. If you're going to be a practical person, or an enthusiast, or a purist, this car will cost you an additional $500-$2000 over the next 3-36 months over and above what people might spend for a car of similar vintage. The justification for such high costs ? Pedigree.....

Please read the maintenance sticky at the top of these forums and trawl through these archives for a better idea of what you're getting into.

I am looking to buy the 525i has 190k This guy is telling me that the valves need to be adjusted. Dose that make any sence?

Depends. If it is 91 (can't remember the exact manufacture date during 91) or earlier, then it has the M20 engine and yes, the valves have to be adjusted. If it is 91 or later with the M50 engine then no. It doesn't make sense because the M50 has hydraulic lifters. Some may be worn and leaking down, but the valves don't get adjusted on the M50.

Yeah It's a 1995.
Rear doors are locked, needs rear shocks,gas cap lid,driver seat is torn.
Are the shocks some thing that would cost a pretty penny or not so much?I have no clue if I buy this 525i it will be my 1st BMW I have allways LOVED them but till now Im thinking of buying this one had a newer one in mind but this is a start=)

Yeah It's a 1995.
Rear doors are locked, needs rear shocks,gas cap lid,driver seat is torn.
Are the shocks some thing that would cost a pretty penny or not so much?I have no clue if I buy this 525i it will be my 1st BMW I have allways LOVED them but till now Im thinking of buying this one had a newer one in mind but this is a start=)

Rear shocks are not to terribly expensive and are DIY if you are good with a wrench. Just know that you will need to budget some money for anticipated repairs and/or preventative maintenance. They are great cars, but require a pretty good amount of TLC if you want to keep it long. If you don't have any wrenching skills, then I would dissuade you from purchasing the car. They require a lot of upkeep and labor rates for a mechanic are generally $80 per hour and up.

Okay so M 20 yes M 50 no so If it's a 95 then it would be a M50???
Yes it is helpful. and I got good mac that do thoses things for me for a really good
price I can change oil alternater fans little thing like that i can do. Oh and buy the way I am going to be paying no more then $700 for this car.
I used to buy and sell cars and I guess this guy got it in as a trade. And now if the valves need some adjusting its ok to drive it just not for to long is that okay or would it
make a bigger prob?

Valves should not need adjusting on an m50. There is probably some odd noise in there whoch is why he keeps yalking about valves. If it is what i think it is, that shoukd be valve lifters. This cannot be adjusted, only replaced during a top overhaul, but is something that some people can live with. It wont fall apart, just noise and slightly less crisp performance.

Buy the car for 500 and spend 1500 on shocks, mountings, essential replacements, and a head job. Then you need to fix the seats etc. Hmm.

Yeah I used to have a acura long time ago and thoses Acura legends would just click afther so many miles but the car would get up and go and I never had a problum but the little noise
Which was not bad.But I just want to make sure that it is the some thing on the BMW.I think i got about 50000 Miles on that acura just like that and sold it like that still running great. So It's just about the same thing then right?What kinda MPG do there 525i get at an ave?Do you know?

Its not the valves itd the lifters that need to be adjusted Now Im on my way to test drive it here in a bit hope this works out.He said it just sounds like a diesel engine hum any advice or no big deal?

Its not the valves itd the lifters that need to be adjusted Now Im on my way to test drive it here in a bit hope this works out.He said it just sounds like a diesel engine hum any advice or no big deal?

Better do a search on VANOS. I believe that car has it, and the system does fail. I would check it out before buying not just assume it is harmless valve noise.

It should NOT make noise. Do you think it did when new? Not a chance. My notoriously noisy M30 runs like a sewing machine, a German one. The M50 should be quieter yet.

Automatic trans? Better watch that with high miles too. These cars can be money pits in a big hurry. All you need is a cool head, a good inspection and test drive. If you are not comfortable with this, then maybe the BMW is going to blow your budget?

Its not the valves itd the lifters that need to be adjusted Now Im on my way to test drive it here in a bit hope this works out.He said it just sounds like a diesel engine hum any advice or no big deal?

I agree with Snowsled7. Here is a video of a bad vanos unit.

Is this what it sounds like? This vanos unit obviously needs to be rebuilt. In the stage of early failure, they just sound like marbles in a metal can, usually just with revving the engine.

Of you're going for any high end performance that's a really nice car to turbo.
Just have to do your your home work and like getting inside the upper end of a motor (easy stuff)
way easier then an e34 m60(v8 530i/540i)
upgrade springs valves thicker head gasket...etc and push 15 psi
yeah buddy.
But like they say do the inspections if its bull to began with it'll be bull to the end.